The WNBA Prepares For 30th Season With New GOAT-Worthy Promo
A new ad starring WNBA icon Sheryl Swoopes illustrates the league’s heightened visibility in its 30th season.
Called “Raising GOATS,” the ad shows Swoopes surrounded by actual goats, with highlights of players from the league’s three decades flashing by.
“Goats aren’t just born, they’re raised,” she says, picking up one of the animals.
Swoopes, 55, was the first player drafted to the WNBA in 1996. She became a three-time MVP and four-time champion with the Houston Comets, ultimately landing in the Hall of Fame. She, along with teammate Tina Thompson and L.A. Sparks’ Lisa Leslie, are among the league’s early superstars.
Though the Comets folded in 2008, they’re returning to the league in 2027.
The Nike ad nods to the tensions the league experienced when Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese competed against each other in the 2023 NCAA women’s championship, which became at that time, the most-watched women’s basketball game ever.
Clark’s University of Iowa team fell to Reese’s LSU team, 102 – 85, but the increased visibility sparked greater interest in women’s basketball which followed through to the ’24 WNBA draft.
The #1 pick, Clark went to the Indiana Fever, while Reese went to the Chicago Sky with the seventh pick. From that moment, Clark became the most scrutinized player in the league, setting off both attendance records and the ire of some of the league’s icons, including Swoopes and others who felt their contributions weren’t properly recognized.
Reese and Clark are credited with leading the league into an era where they were able to sign a historic collective bargaining agreement, which resulted in the highest pay raises of any league in modern sports history.
The WNBA intends to capitalize on its renewed popularity with a campaign through the season. There’s More Where 30 Came From will highlight the W’s past, present and future with activations, collaborations and specially themed games.
Court Origins Nights will feature the New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury, bringing fans back to 1997 and the league’s original teams. The WNBA Top 30 Plays on the league’s apps and social media accounts will share 30 special moments from the league’s three decades, and new merchandise will be dropped on the 30th of each month from May to September.
Three product drops will kick off in April, featuring La Crema on April 9, Nike on April 13 and Mitchell & Ness on April 15.
Two more ads – “Signatures” which puts the spotlight on current W players, and “Confetti,” which will focus on each team’s quests for a championship, will drop during the season.
“As we tip off our historic 30th season, we’re bringing fans closer to the WNBA than ever before through bold, creative, and immersive storytelling,” Phil Cook, the WNBA’s chief marketing officer, said. “We’re building a season-long platform of activations, collaborations, and fan-first experiences designed to engage the WNBA family wherever they are. Season 30 will be our most ambitious and innovative marketing campaign ever – one that matches the current momentum of the WNBA.”
The 2026 WNBA Draft airs live from New York City on Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The 2026-2027 regular season kicks off on May 8.
